Nation needs a stable government: Ravi Shankar Prasad

Hyderabad: Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad lashed out at Opposition mahagathbandan saying India did not need an unstable government. Alluding to the United Front governments of the 1990s, he said, ‘None of the prime ministers in the Grand Alliance have ruled the nation for one year.’

Addressing mediapersons here after launching the ‘Bharat Ke Mann ki Baat’ programme, Mr Prasad said, ‘We have prime ministers from 40 days to 11 months in the mahagathbandan. Do we want this once more?’

He said the Opposition alliance had no idea or manifesto to build the nation. ‘The parties that framed the alliance were battling each other earlier. Their point is to bring down Prime Minister Narendra Modi from power but not develop to the nation.’

Bharat Ke Mann ki Baat is meant to collect suggestions from different sections to make India powerful. Around 7,000 suggestion boxes placed across the country seeking recommendations on the agenda if Mr Modi retains power.

After meeting IT experts as part of the programme, Mr Prasad said: ‘This is a unique function and the biggest programme by the BJP to reach people. We are going to meet farmers, IT experts, doctors, lawyers and others, looking for their recommendations on how to make India more powerful. I’m upbeat that I have connected with IT experts of Hyderabad.’

Comparing the UPA and NDA governments, Mr Prasad said, ‘From Independence to May 2014 till Mr Modi assumed responsibility as Prime Minister, only 6.25 crore toilets were built in rural India, whereas 10 crore toilets were built in the last four-and-a-half years of Modi’s government. This shows what the BJP has done.’

He said the Modi government was tough on the country’s security. ‘We will do a surgical strike against those who intervene,’ he said. He said the Congress government had lent `56 lakh crore from banks but the BJP had recovered `3 lakh crore from the non-performing assets.